Have you ever wanted to invest in financial markets, but were always afraid that you didn’t have the proper tools or knowledge to make informed decisions? Have you ever wondered how investment management companies operate and what fund managers do? AXA Investment Managers, in partnership with HEC Paris, will introduce you to the most important ideas and concepts in investment management, to help you better understand your financial future.
This course will enable you to:
• Define what type of investor you are, your investment objectives, and potential constraints.
• Identify the main investable assets and important players in financial markets.
• Understand basic portfolio management techniques.
• Apply these techniques in real case studies from the outset, through practical assessments.
Finally, we will provide a comprehensive overview of today's asset management industry: the product cycles, professionals, and regulations. For those who want to identify a talented fund manager to invest for you, we offer important criteria for selecting one. For those who are interested in learning more about this fascinating industry, we lay the foundation for your ongoing financial journey. Join us now to explore the world of investment management!
Course Launching Date
The first session of the course will be launched on April 11th, 2016.
Course Specialists
The course has been developed in collaboration between HEC Paris, with Hugues Langlois managing the academic aspect, and AXA Investment Managers specialists, sharing their experiences and expertise and coordinated by Marion Le Morhedec. AXA Investment Managers participants include Maxime Alimi, Stephanie Condra, Nicholas Jeans, Elodie Laugel, Pierre-François de Mont-Serrat, Jean-Gabriel Pierre (AXA Group), Dorothée Sauloup, Irina Topa-Serry, Fiona Southall, Patrice Viot Coster, Susanna Warner, and Joachim Weitgasser.
Recommended Background
We expect most participants to have a basic level of knowledge in mathematics and economics. However this is not essential, and we believe that people from any background can succeed with commitment and a strong interest.
Be aware that in the case study, you will have to use Excel.
Course Format
This course will run for 4 weeks and consists of 4 modules, each with a series of lecture videos between 5 to 8 minutes long. Each module contains a set of practice and graded quiz questions. A complete portfolio management exercise covers concepts learned in all modules
Language
The course is in English, with Spanish, Italian, German, French, and Chinese (Simplified) subtitles.
The Project
The preparation of this MOOC has been an exciting adventure for many professionals at AXA Investment Managers and HEC, both for the speakers and a wealth of contributors. Thank you to all of them.
We hope you enjoy this course as much as we enjoyed creating it!

From the lesson

Defining Your Objectives and Universe

As the first module of the course, we will start with helping you to identify which kind of investor you are, and what are your investment objectives. Then, we will give you an overall view of investible assets and the financial market. In addition, we will introduce the concepts of risk and returns in portfolio management which will help you to make better investment decisions.